A Pale Imitation
by nycz
Summary: Regina is furious with Emma after she brings back Marian, but since she can't take it out on her, Regina creates a mindless clone of Emma to hit instead. The clone doesn't stay mindless for long though, developing an obsession with Regina. Written for summer 2014 Swan Queen Big Bang. (TW for sexual assault/rape and graphic depictions of violence)
1. Chapter 1

**Written for the 2014 summer Swan Queen Big Bang. Many thanks to C for the quick and effective beta'ing!**

**TRIGGER WARNINGS: graphic depictions of violence, sexual assault/rape (attempted and imho not too explicit or extreme, but still, beware)**

**Also brief mentions of Captain Swan and Outlaw Queen, but they are not the focus of the story.**

**Enjoy :)**

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><p><em>"You. You did this."<em>

_"I just wanted to save her life."_

_"You're just like your mother. Never thinking of _consequences_."_

_"I didn't know."_

The words played on repeat in Regina's mind as she briskly walked home. Away from the happy couples and away from one of the few people she'd thought she could trust. _Trust._ The word itself almost made her laugh out loud. What she should have _trusted_ was that Emma would act according to her Charming genes, in that idiotic do-gooder spirit where you never had to see beyond your nose and never think about anything beyond the here and now because your _intentions_ were good, consequences be damned.

Her fists opened and closed, the lust for vengeance – for pain – stronger than it had been in a long time. A part of her old Evil Queen persona had been awoken and it wanted to lay waste to the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and to the whole town who glorified Emma's infallibility. Her hands balled into fists and her nails cut into her palms as she thought of how confused Emma had looked, how confusing it was for her to do the so-called right thing and still hurt someone. Emma had been so indoctrinated with the Charmings' incessant belief in Good that she probably didn't even believe that she could do anything wrong anymore.

Regina slammed the door violently behind her and for once was glad that Henry wasn't living with her. The thought of him made her stop dead in her tracks, her frown deepening. As much as she longed to see Emma in pain, she couldn't go after her like that. Henry would never forgive her.

So Regina gritted her teeth, trying to think of another way to get rid of the crippling fury that gave everything a blood red tint. She could of course go out into the forest, blowing up trees and rocks with her magic, but that wasn't what she needed. No, she needed something more brutal. She wanted to _hurt_ something; she wanted to see blood.

A hint of something on the floor caught her attention. When she picked it up, she saw that it was a long, bright blonde hair, the faint magic scent from it making it perfectly clear who it had belonged to. A smile slowly grew on Regina's lips, cold and feral. She knew exactly what she was going to do. It was a fairly simple spell Rumple had taught her back in the day, but as simple as it was, it was also fairly useless. Who would need to clone someone when the clone couldn't be commanded, couldn't think or act on its own and for almost all intents and purposes was merely a warm, breathing statue? Well, when you wanted to beat someone to a bloody pulp without hurting the actual person, it was the perfect spell. Regina kicked off her heels and tossed her jacket aside before placing the hair carefully on the floor a few feet in front of her. She mumbled the incantation and let all the anger she felt for Emma fuel her magic, weaving around the blond hair, covering it in a tall cloud of purple smoke.

And then Emma was standing there in front of her, wearing her red leather jacket, her face a blank, dead expression. Snapping her fingers in front of the clone's face, Regina got no reaction which only made her grin widen even further. She was finally going to have some real fun with the Savior.

The first hit landed squarely at the side of the clone's jaw, snapping her head to the side, a hint of blood pooling in the corner of her mouth. Regina's fist hurt too, but it was a good kind of pain and it only egged her on. She hit the clone again in the same spot, but besides a trickle of blood that made its way down her cheek, the clone didn't seem to notice it.

"No, you need to react," Regina muttered, calling up her magic again, pouring it into the woman in front of her. "I want to see your _pain_." After a moment, she saw a flicker of something – a wince? – cross the woman's face and she pulled her magic out. Without waiting, she punched the clone straight in the stomach, chuckling at the pained gasp the clone elicited when she doubled over. "That's more like it."

Regina hit the woman over and over again until both her fists were aching as if she'd broken them both – which she might just have done – and her breath was coming in short pants. Her hands were covered in blood, her hair was a sweaty mess and she'd ripped her skirt but it was nothing compared to how the Emma clone looked. Blood dripping from nose, mouth and ears, both eyes swelled shut and she looked like she could barely keep standing.

They stood quietly for a while, both women's breaths the only sounds that pierced the silence. Regina watched the clone, waiting for the pain from earlier to subside and the sense of victory to course through her body, but it never came. She felt... empty. Nothing. Her fury was gone, as was her need for vengeance. The sight of the horribly battered woman in front of her didn't give her any joy, only making her vaguely uncomfortable. She had seen enough torture to not be easily affected by sights such as this, but seeing Emma in that state was such a strange, almost alien sight. Emma had always been the Savior, in mind and body. She had seemed untouchable – sometimes almost serene – and now she was anything but.

Sighing, Regina slumped, wondering what to do with the clone. Maybe she'd be useful later if Emma was to anger her again. Flicking her wrist, she sent the clone to the basement and then turned to look at her hands. She sighed again. They were a, quite literally, bloody mess with the knuckles practically scraped bare by the hits they had delivered. Even just opening them made her wince.

"Oh well," she mumbled with a shrug before she headed up the stairs to fix her hands, feeling oddly defeated.


	2. Chapter 2

Regina didn't bother to rise at her usual early hour the next day. She lay in her bed, only bothering to turn off the alarm clock when it rang. Staring at the ceiling, she tried to understand what had happened last night. She still didn't feel anything when she thought of how the clone of Emma had looked, all bruised and bloody. There was this void inside her that she hadn't felt in a long time, somewhat similar to what she'd felt before she got Henry.

After an hour or so, she finally managed to get out of bed, dress and head down to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. Maybe the light magic she'd used to defeat Zelena had done something to her. Maybe it had removed some of her darkness, made her unable to enjoy revenge, hate and all the other emotions that had fueled her for so long. On the other hand, it had felt good to hurt Emma like that – it just hadn't lasted. Realizing how mulling over all the different explanations that existed wasn't getting her anywhere, she decided to take a quick walk. Perhaps that could clear her head.

The streets were bustling with life – at least as much as Storybrooke could ever bustle with anything – as the residents enjoyed the calm after the passing of yet another life threatening situation. It took a while for Regina to realize what had her so on edge, why every minute outside made her stomach churn and her blood boil. For once, it wasn't spiteful looks or whispers behind her back that did it; many had heard about her fight with the Charmings to save the town from Zelena and had accepted her as one of the "good guys", although with a large dose of wariness. No, it was the _couples_. Everywhere, happy couples strolling in the sun, holding hands and smiling, all the while twisting and turning the dagger in Regina's heart, reminding her of what she had lost. What had been _taken_ from her.

Steeling herself, she continued on, determined not to let her own mind and a bunch of peasants ruin her day even more. She was the Queen, not some little lovesick teenager who just got her heart crushed.

She was so busy tuning out the outside world that she didn't notice the couple sitting on a park bench until she was only about twenty feet away. Emma and the pirate, sitting together, talking and apparently enjoying each other's company. The sight made Regina sick. Just as she was about to turn on her heel and leave, Emma looked up and their eyes met. For a split second, all three were quiet and still. Then, Emma stood.

"Regina," she began but was immediately cut off.

"I don't have time for you, Savior," Regina sneered, the anger from the day before coming back with full force. "Go back to your pirate."

"But, I–" she tried again, an imploring look in her eyes.

"Unless you want to create a _scene_," Regina emphasized the word with a telltale flexing of her fingers as if about to conjure a ball of fire, "I suggest you stay the hell away from me."

"Not a problem, Your Majesty," Hook noted with a lazy smirk.

"Shut up, Hook." Emma's response sounded almost instinctive. Turning back to Regina, she opened her mouth to say something but once again, Regina interrupted her.

"You're lucky I've changed," Regina nearly growled before disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.

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><p>The fury felt like it burned Regina's skin when she appeared in her foyer. Shucking her shoes and coat, she wasted no time to summon the clone back from the basement. She needed to <em>hurt<em> something. Oddly enough, the clone had healed since the night before, but it didn't matter. Regina wanted to see the damn Savior destroyed, not out enjoying herself with that disgusting pirate. And destroy Emma was exactly what she was going to do.

A fleeting thought of seducing Hook came to mind, destroying Emma's growing happiness in the process, but the thought of having that disgusting pirate anywhere near her – let alone touch her – made Regina want to vomit. It would be a far too steep price to pay. So, she would have to make do with making her fake Emma bleed instead.

She hit the clone in the jaw, watching with glee as she recoiled from the hit and held her chin but did nothing to defend herself. Another hit broke her noise with a sickening crack before a third hit split her lip, blood beginning to cover her face. She hit the clone again and again in her face, watching it go from pale and flawless to bloody and bruised. But still, it wasn't helping.

Regina growled in frustration. It was like using an nearly empty battery; each use created even less of an effect. It had felt good to hit the clone at first, but already the feeling of emptiness had begun to take over as her anger fizzled out. After all, what was the point, really? She couldn't hurt the real Emma and hitting the clone... well, it just showed how little of the Evil Queen there really was left in her. But if that was so, what the hell was she supposed to do? Talk to the cricket? Sure, it helped to some extent but she doubted it would help her with the growing void in her heart. She wanted someone else, someone to be with; someone to share her life with. As much as it pained her to admit it, the time with Robin had opened the floodgates in her heart and attempting to convince herself that Henry would be enough just wouldn't hold up.

"Fuck!" she snapped, landing a last hit right on side of the clone's face. Cursing some more as immense pain shot through her knuckles and up her arm, she cradled her aching hand. "You're useless," she muttered, looking back at the clone again. But seeing Emma bloody and beaten still did nothing for her, and she sent the clone back to the basement with an irritated wave of her hand.

Letting out a tired breath, she went to the kitchen and washed the blood off from her hand, wincing at the pain that shot through her hand and arm. With her more or less unscathed hand, she healed the damage on her other hand. When it seemed fairly healed, she shrugged to herself, grabbed a decanter of her cider and headed for the living room. It was going to be a long, dreadful day, but at least she had some good liquor.


	3. Chapter 3

Waking up after a whole day of drinking was, as expected, very unpleasant. Her head pounded as if it had been the clone in her basement that had hit her and not the other way around. Vowing to never touch any kind of alcohol ever again, she downed a few painkillers and went down to the kitchen to make coffee. She didn't bother to dress up, merely putting on a dressing gown. After all, no one was coming over and _she_ certainly wasn't going anywhere today.

The coffee helped some, clearing up her mind and waking her slumbering higher brain functions. It helped enough for her to finally realize – after an embarrassingly long time – that the buzzing sound from the foyer was her phone and not just static noise from her hangover. Apparently she hadn't bothered or remembered to take it out of her coat when she came home from her walk the day before. It was a miracle that the battery was even still alive.

Her brows furrowed as she saw the caller ID. Tinker Bell. Probably wanting to blabber on about soul mates and how Regina could have cured cancer and saved all orphans in the world with her magnificent love if she'd just taken the chance all those years ago. No thank you, Regina decided with a dark glare and rejected the call. Browsing through her phone, she noticed a lot of missed calls. Several from Tinker Bell, two from Emma, three from Robin and even one from Snow. On top of that, Emma had practically filled half Regina's phone with frantic texts. Regina just scoffed, deleting them all. That incessant woman simply couldn't take a hint.

The breakfast was quickly finished as her appetite was close to zero. As she put away what little dishes she'd accumulated, she noticed another odd feeling taking hold in her mind. She didn't have anything to do. No villains to defeat, no mysteries to solve, no plots to foil, no town to run, not even a son to take care of. There was literally nothing that she was supposed to do. She figured that she probably should find it liberating – finally being able to do whatever she wanted to – but it just felt... empty.

Resigning herself to go at least one day without doing anything remotely useful – all the while staying the hell away from her liquor cabinet – she sat down in front of the TV to find something to kill her time and brain cells with.

The rest of the world, however, didn't seem to take kindly to her isolation. After half an hour, Regina heard the faint noise of her phone ringing, yelling at her from the kitchen. Three calls later, Regina huffed in irritation and waved her hand, summoning the phone in a cloud of purple. It was Emma who called. _Of course._ Knowing how stubborn and persistent she was, Regina finally answered, barking a "Miss Swan" into the phone. She had finally managed to find something more or less worthy of watching on the brain-rotting TV and she didn't take kindly to being interrupted, least of all by Emma Swan.

_"Hey, Regina–"_

"I thought I made it perfectly clear to you that I didn't want yout to bother me anymore. Has your pirate whispered so much worthless nonsense into your ears that you're developing brain damage?"

Emma let out a terse sigh. _"But we really need to talk about–"_

"No, we don't need to talk about anything. Stop calling me." With that, she ended the call with a bit more force than was strictly necessary.

Falling back against the back of the sofa, Regina let the phone fall down beside her. She wasn't sure if she was happy or feeling pathetic, seeing how her anger with Emma had already mellowed into irritation. Why couldn't she keep alive the anger that she, for once, had a right to feel? Why was it already fizzling out? Was it because she somehow didn't feel that she deserved the happiness? The cricket had raised that point a few times, but it hadn't felt like it fit. It still didn't.

Another thought hit her: maybe Emma was just an utterly _likable_ person.

Regina laughed loudly at that. What a ridiculous notion.

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><p>It was dark and silent when Regina dazedly opened her eyes, wondering what had awoken her. There was a strange sensation coursing through her body, a tingling that left her feeling like she could fall asleep again at any moment. It all felt a little unreal, as if something was just... off, in some way.<p>

A humming sound made her open her eyes fully, staring at the door as she sat up in her bed. The humming grew in intensity as an arm suddenly appeared – sticking out of the very much _closed_ door – followed by a leg, the other arm and then the rest of the body. Regina blinked owlishly at the sight: Emma had just walked through the closed door like some sort of ghost. At first she just stood there, peering at Regina with an unreadable gaze. Then, with slow but sure steps she closed the distance to the bed, hovering over Regina, a crooked smirk forming on her lips.

Opening her mouth to ask what the hell was going on, Regina found herself silenced by a single digit placed on her lips. Staring at Emma in confusion, she nevertheless allowed herself to be gently pushed back down on the bed. Was this a dream? After all, she had spent most of the last few days thinking either about Emma or – on some occasions – potential intimate situations with Robin, although those were clearly not going to happen anymore. This was probably her brain's garbled attempt to process it all.

As Emma let her gaze drift lower, she pulled the cover aside, exposing Regina's body to her eyes. Her fingers toyed with the bottom edge of Regina's nightdress, pushing it aside to touch the soft skin underneath. She traced Regina's legs from mid-thigh to her feet with her fingers, scraping Regina's skin with her nails as her eyes burned with hungry fascination. The touch left burning paths on Regina's skin, making her bite her lip to stop any embarrassing sounds from escaping. Even in her dreams, it would seem her body was terribly needy from having been neglected for so long.

Emma's grin grew wide and toothy, her eyes moving up to meet Regina's and she got up on the bed, straddling Regina's hips. Regina could only stare up at the blonde, Emma's bright curls tumbling down her shoulders, meeting the signature white tank top that covered her upper body. Logically, Regina knew she shouldn't want this – Emma was still number one on her hit list, to only name one of the many reasons – but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate beauty. Besides, living out a silly fantasy in a dream didn't mean anything, did it? Her sleep-addled mind couldn't come up with any objections.

Her thoughts were cut short when Emma placed her hands on each side of Regina's waist, slowly running them up to touch the sides of her breasts. Regina couldn't help the keening, needy noise that she made, feeling those warm and soft hands greedily touching her. God, she needed this.

Emma bent down, at first as if to kiss her but then instead heading for her neck, letting one of her hands tangle in Regina's dark hair and pulling her head to the side with a hard tug. Emma traced her jawline with little nibbles from Regina's chin to her ear, chuckling darkly at the choked whimper that Regina made. She attacked Regina's neck with bites and kisses, encouraged by each needy little noise Regina couldn't hold in.

Regina was panting by now and she threw her arms around Emma's neck, burying her fingers in the long blonde tresses. All thoughts about right and wrong were long gone. It was just a dream and _this_ was what she needed, what her body needed. It was many times better than any punishment she could have dished out to the clone and even better still than drinking herself to sleep or watching crappy TV. Emma felt so good against her, the pain of her bites only enhancing the pleasure of her kisses.

"Mine," Emma growled, "you're _mine_." She bent her head down to the crook of Regina's neck where it met her shoulders, burying her teeth in the soft flesh and sucking hard.

"Emma!" Regina cried out, trying to pull her even closer. Getting off on being marked by the Savior would embarrass her greatly at any other moment, but right now she was too far gone to think about anything other than the amazing sensations the woman straddling her was giving her.

Emma stirred, her body freezing.

"No," Regina panted – almost whined – as she buried her head in the crook of Emma's neck, "please don't stop."

But Emma didn't respond, only straightening up and untangling herself from Regina's limbs despite Regina's protests. She stayed quiet, only deigning to give Regina a short, hard glare before leaving through the closed door in the same surreal way as she'd entered. Meanwhile, Regina just lay in the bed, confused and frustrated. She tried to will the dream back into existence, but despite the aching need between her legs, the dream wouldn't return and she soon found herself back into dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The obnoxiously loud voice of the man on the TV did very little to settle Regina's mind. He was shouting about something moderately interesting while pointing at a house they were demolishing. (They might have been rebuilding it. Regina wasn't entirely sure.) Despite the loud volume, the dream from last night lingered still. It annoyed her how easily the damn blonde could invade her life without even being in it. It was confusing to remember how she had felt during the steamy scenes from the dream while still remembering how Emma had ruined her love life. "Ironic" didn't even begin to describe it.

What concerned her more was how little she felt after reading the texts Robin had sent. They were all apologetic and blabbered on about second chances (more like third or fourth, though) as well as finding happiness again and maybe still being friends, if Marian allowed it. Needless to say, Robin's newfound wife was not as positive to Regina as Robin or Roland was. Speaking of Roland, Robin hinted about letting Regina see him at some point, but once again the looming question in the matter was whether Marian would let her son anywhere near Regina..

She missed him, sure, but it wasn't like Daniel or her father or even her mother. The one she missed the most was actually Roland, as apart from the fact that he was a very cute little boy he was one of the few in Storybrooke that only saw her as Regina, not the Evil Queen.

Just as she was beginning to feel a headache creeping up on her, she heard the doorbell ring and got up with a huff, turning off the TV in the process. She had a pretty good idea of who it could be that disturbed her relative peace – it wasn't that hard to guess. Pulling her dressing gown closer around her, she opened the front door, none too surprised at seeing Emma standing outside.

"Miss Swan. What a surprise," Regina drawled. "I don't suppose the term 'stay away' means anything to you?"

Rolling her eyes, Emma shoved her hands down her pockets. "If you'd actually given me ten seconds to explain, I wouldn't have to be here."

"Fine." She crossed her arms, fixing Emma with a cold stare. "Ten seconds. Talk."

"It's about Henry, he–"

A shiver tore through Regina's body. "Is he okay? Did something happen?"

"He's _fine_. Will you let me finish already?" she huffed. "He wants to see you. I figured we'd make some kind of arrangement of where he'll stay, alternating days or weeks or something."

Regina blinked before awkwardly clearing her throat. "Oh." She hadn't even thought about Henry moving back in with her, too busy being angry with Emma and trying to sort out her feelings in general. "I'm... I didn't..."

"Yeah, I know," Emma muttered. Frowning slightly in confusion, her eyes traveled downwards to Regina's neck.

"Is there a problem, Miss Swan?" Regina asked, annoyed at Emma's wandering eyes. What was Emma staring at? Looking down at her chest, Regina saw nothing out of the ordinary, but nonetheless pulled her gown closer together.

"Oh, uh, no," Emma hurried to answer although her eyes flitted down again once more before meeting Regina's gaze. "Just... nothing."

Regina scoffed at Emma's bad attempt at hiding her blatant ogling, but stepped aside to let Emma in. Sometimes that woman really was more of a teenage boy than Henry. "We can discuss Henry's living arrangements inside."

After sending Emma off to the living room, Regina took the opportunity to look herself in the mirror. Maybe she had some kind of mark or smudge that Emma had stared at. Stepping in front of the mirror, she barely managed to contain her gasp when she saw her reflection. On her neck was a large, dark mark on the exact spot where her dream's Emma had sucked just before she'd abruptly left.

So it _hadn't_ been a dream? For a split second Regina wondered if it actually had been Emma who'd been there with her, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Emma wouldn't have stared at the mark like that – looking that confused – and she certainly didn't know how to walk through solid materials. Beside, of course, the obvious fact that Emma wouldn't stroll into her bedroom in the middle of the night and try to fuck her. No, the clone must have somehow managed to become at least to some extent conscious, perhaps acting on Regina's subconscious thoughts or something along those lines. She wouldn't know for sure without studying the spell more. Still, that meant that there was a clone of Emma that could apparently act more or less on its own. Calling the idea unsettling would have been a gross understatement.

Hurrying over to the living room, Regina pushed the thoughts aside as best she could. The clone hadn't shown itself or hurt her or anyone else – as far as she knew – and as soon as Emma left, she would go down to the basement and get rid of the clone. It was too dangerous to have something like that left roaming her house.

"So, you said Henry wanted to see me?" Regina didn't bother to hide the hopeful note in her voice. Emma knew perfectly well what she felt for Henry just as she knew that using Henry as some kind of bargaining chip against Regina would be the last thing she ever did.

"He wants to move in here, not just see you." Emma rubbed her neck sheepishly. "He would have said it himself but he's at school right now and I didn't want to look like I used him to get close to you or anything. I know I'm probably the last person you'd want to see right now."

Regina pursed her lips, considering the last thing Emma had said. It was odd, how little she felt even when the woman she'd beaten bloody a few nights ago was sitting in front of her, mere feet away. Perhaps she had begun to believe this "right thing" garbage herself. Would she have saved Marian in the past, not knowing who she was? After all, when they'd fought Zelena she had saved Snow and her spawn out of the goodness – well, without being forced to, at least.

She mentally shook her head, filing away her questions for later. This was about Henry. "Well, he's welcome here at any time," she said, her voice softer as it often became when she talked about her son.

"Good, good," Emma said, running her palms over her thighs in a slightly nervous gesture. "I figured the easiest way would be alternating weeks, but I guess we could do, like, Sunday to Wednesday, Wednesday to Saturday or something like that too if you think that's better."

Regina tuned out after the first two words, the image of Emma's hands running over her thighs making her remember the way Emma had run her hands over skin in the dream, those two muscular thighs on either side of her body–

"Regina?" Emma said, leaning forward. "Are you okay? You got this weird look."

"I'm fine," Regina hurriedly replied, stiffening. She felt vaguely disgusted. Enjoying a purported dream about your at-one-point-nemesis was one thing, openly fantasizing about her when she was sitting in front of you was another thing entirely. She just hoped her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "I got lost in my thoughts. Alternating weeks will be fine."

"Okay." Emma nodded but then gave her an apologetic look. "Regina..."

"Don't," she cut her off, holding up a warning hand.

"Damn it, just let me say this once!" Emma snapped. "I know I fucked stuff up for you. I know I can't fix it. I just... if you need anything, tell me? I didn't want to hurt you and if I can do anything to help you with it, just tell me and I'll do it."

Regina sighed tersely and stood up, unwilling to meet Emma's no doubt pleading eyes. Sometimes the similarities between Emma and her son were simply too much for her. "Don't get your hopes up, Miss Swan." She paused wondering for a moment if she should just leave it at that. "But if I think of something, I'll tell you," she said quietly. Snapping her eyes up to meet Emma's gaze, she added with a little smirk, "now that I think about it, I do have a few bodies in my garage that would require disposing."

The brief look of horror that crossed Emma's face was well worth the small defeat that actually half-joking with Emma constituted.

"Right, I think I'll pass," Emma said with a wry smile, getting to her feet. "Well then, I'll bring Henry over in a few days."

"See that you do."

Thankfully, Emma didn't say anything else before she left, making the exit quick and easy. Small victories.

When Regina was sure Emma was gone, she headed for the basement, one thing in mind: the clone had to be destroyed. Whatever confidence or easiness that she'd had when talking to Emma was rapidly diminishing as she stepped down the stairs. The clone was a completely unknown variable, unpredictable and therefore dangerous. She really didn't like surprises.

She breathed a small sigh of relief as she found the Emma clone sitting on a chair, the figure slumped forward as if she was resting.

"Time for you to go," Regina muttered.

The clone looked up with confusion on her face. "Why?"

Regina started, not expecting a response. "You were a mistake and I'm here to correct that."

"No," the clone insisted defiantly, standing up with force. "I'm not going."

Regina just shook her head dismissively before waving her hand and watching how the clone slowly disintegrated, starting with her feet and moving upwards. The last thing she saw was the anger and confusion in the clone's eyes before she was gone completely.


	5. Chapter 5

Two extremely uneventful days passed before Tink finally managed to goad Regina out of her house to have lunch with her, with the explicit promise not to talk about soul mates or True Love or anything related.

"We haven't talked in a while," Tink said when they had sat down in a booth at Granny's. "In fact, I haven't seen you in almost a week. How are you holding up?"

"The town is safe, I don't have any homicidal relatives after me – as far as I know – and Henry's safe and remembers me. It's fine." When she said it like that, she could almost believe herself.

"Come on, Regina," Tink said, leaning forward. "I'm your _friend_. You don't have to hide behind all those walls for me." At Regina's skeptical look, she shrugged. "Alright, so sometimes you drive me crazy and sometimes I think you're an idiot."

Regina donned her most fake smile, but not without a glint in her eye. "You know, you make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside with all those compliments."

"I'm just saying, despite all that, you're still my friend." She raised an eyebrow. "At least I hope you are."

"I... yes," Regina breathed. "I suppose I wouldn't mind that."

Tink smiled but didn't say anything, apparently waiting for Regina to take the lead.

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't know what I feel, why I feel it... everything since we returned to Storybrooke has been confusing, to say the least. I found and lost a sister and a soul mate, I met Henry and Emma again, my former nemesis had a child which I helped to protect." She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what to feel. I thought I would be angry, depressed, furious, but I'm not. I just feel empty." She paused, her voice much quieter as she added, "lonely."

"I'm sorry," Tink said after a moment. "I thought it would work out. The pixie dust–"

Regina silenced her with a scoff, although there was a wistful smile on her lips. "You know, before I saw his tattoo, I wasn't that interested. He was nice, I suppose, but he didn't stand out. It wasn't until the tattoo that I figured that he was my happy ending – that he would have to _do_ as my happy ending. It was simple, too. He was sweet, funny and didn't see me as the Evil Queen, but it wasn't anything more than that. Nothing ever... _clicked_." She sighed, pausing as the waitress came with their food. "I'm tired of being a pawn, Tink. I'm tired of doing what fate or destiny or some almighty higher power tells me to do. So I suppose, I miss having someone. I don't think I miss _him_ in particular, though. He was the one I was supposed to be with – the one I _had_ to be with – and considering my failed marriage, I'm not sure that would have worked out in the end."

The pointed look that Tink gave her only made Regina roll her eyes.

"The pixie dust was a lifetime ago, in another realm. We were both different people back then."

"Fine," Tink huffed, stabbing her food petulantly. "I just hope you find someone. Everyone deserves it." She gave Regina another look. "Even you."

After that, they switched to lighter, simpler topics, enjoying each other's company. Regina was pleasantly surprised and only somewhat reluctantly agreed to do it again some time soon. As they were about to exit, however, Emma barged in while talking to someone on the phone, clearly annoyed at whoever it was.

"Regina!" she hissed while covering the microphone. "I really need your help," she whispered, a hunted look in her eyes before turning back to her phone.

"It's fine," Regina mumbled at Tink who was giving Emma a wary look, fully aware of the two women's particularly troubled relationship.

With a last suspicious glance towards Emma, Tink nodded. "Call me if you need something. And don't forget our next lunch." She left the diner just as Emma ended her call.

"What's this about, Miss Swan?" Regina asked impatiently.

"I, ah," she tried, looking as if she wanted to sink underground. "I need you to have lunch with me." She winced when she saw the look on Regina's face. "Okay, that came out wrong. I wanted to eat alone but Hook wouldn't stop pestering me, so I told him I couldn't have lunch with him because I was already going to eat with someone else and then he just laughed in my face and said I was playing hard to get. Seriously. So... if we could have lunch just when he comes in, maybe he'll actually believe me." She ended her rambling with a hopeful almost-smile.

"And why would I want to help you with that."

"Because I'm asking really, really nicely?"

"No."

"Because he won't question you or try to butt in like he would with anyone else?"

"No." She had to admit, shooting down Emma's idiotic proposals was still as fun as always, even though the anger and fury towards her was gone.

Regina could practically see the cogs turning in Emma's head, trying to find a way to convince her. It made her scrunch her face up just like Henry, she noted. "Because you hate Hook more than you hate me and you'd love to piss him off?"

"N–" Just as she was about to tell her off again, she thought about it. She did have a point. As much as Emma annoyed her, she had to admit that if she had to pick one of the two to do anything with, Emma would always be her choice. Besides, she hadn't forgotten the torture session Hook did little to stop. "You have a point," she muttered, rolling her eyes at the grin that split Emma's face.

"Great! He'll be here in like ten minutes. Anything you want, it's on me. You don't even have to talk to me. Just look like you're having lunch and not planning to murder me, okay?" She licked her lips, hearing what she just said. "Not that you'd do anything like that. Honestly, it's probably more likely that I'll have to arrest myself soon for police brutality. I can't stand people who just won't believe me."

"I know the feeling," Regina murmured, delighting in the little flinch it elicited in Emma.

They sat down and for once, Regina looked through the menus. She'd already had lunch, so why not something small, or a dessert. Either something expensive to use Emma as much as possible, or something extremely cheap to show her that she didn't want anything from Emma... Realizing she was giving far too much thought to a dessert, she just picked one.

"So. Things are going well with your beloved pirate, I take it?" Regina broke the silence with a wide, fake smile.

"Yeah, great," Emma muttered, her mood dropping already.

"But you two looked so adorable together," she argued, her voice and smile both sickly sweet. "The Savior and a reformed pirate. It's the classic love story."

Emma let out an irritated sigh. "What do you want me to say? That he's an asshole?"

"Oh, I already knew that, dear," Regina replied with a smirk, enjoying the familiar bickering.

"Well, I don't." She shook her head at how that sounded. "I mean, he's not. He's just _there_, all the time. I can barely get any time for myself. And yeah, technically it's the honeymoon phase or whatever, but seriously. He's like bad rash sometimes."

"I'm not a marriage counselor, Miss Swan."

"Yeah, I know," she said, clearly not having heard a word that Regina just said. "I just don't understand him. Sometimes he's all sweet and romantic, other times he seems to think that the only reason I exist is to warm his bed."

"_Miss Swan_," Regina snapped, loud enough for Emma to look up in surprise. "He's a pirate. He has been for a very long time. What makes you think he would become a gentleman all of a sudden? Because he met you, the Savior?" She scoffed. "People don't change that quickly. He behaves like he thinks you want him to." Leaning forward, she looked deeply into Emma's eyes, a serious expression on her face. "And he does that to get into your pants." After that, she smirked at Emma's sour expression and leaned back in her chair.

"He's not–"

The rest of her rebuttal was drowned out by the sound of the door opening and Hook entering the diner.

"There you are, Swan," he began but his smile quickly fell when he saw who she was dining with. "And the Queen. How nice."

"Likewise," Regina drawled, doing her best not to sneer at him.

"Told you I already had lunch with someone else," Emma muttered with a scowl.

"Well. Can't be too sure these days," Hook said. "I'm surprised that you're having lunch with her, though. Have you checked it for poison? Maybe a curse?" He leered at Regina.

"She's not like that anymore," Emma snapped just as Regina opened her palm, a small fireball floating just above it.

Hook started but didn't back away. "Really. I can't say I see any major changes."

"Oh, I've changed," Regina said, her lips turning up in a dangerous smile. "Nowadays, I try to focus on people who torture me and with Greg and Tamara gone, I'm afraid I'm running out of targets."

"Just go, Hook," Emma muttered, poking her food without interest. "I'll talk to you later."

After a few seconds of hesitation, Hook decided it wasn't worth it. He worked his jaw, looking as if he was about to say something but then thought better of it, turned on his heel and left the diner.

"I see you have a wonderful relationship," Regina couldn't help but jab in a chipper voice.

"You're hilarious," came the deadpan response.


	6. Chapter 6

As much as she hated to admit it, talking to Tink and then taking out some aggression – verbally – on Emma did help with the emptiness, at least to an extent. She still missed having someone like Robin, someone close like that, but she also remembered what she'd said about Robin being what she had to be content with and that had put the whole situation in a whole new light. She felt calmer, like she could see things just a smidgen more clearly. She still hadn't seen or talked to Robin since that day and that had probably made things easier as well.

One thing she did notice in the following days was how Emma often seemed to show up just when Tink was leaving, making it painfully obvious that one of them – or both – had some kind of agenda that involved mending the at one point growing friendship between her and Emma. At first their interactions had been awkward – more like the how they had been before the curse had been broken – but slowly, it became easier and less forced. She was fairly certain at least Tink knew what was going on but she declined to confront her about it, not wanting another lecture on friendship and relationships from the still idealistic fairy.

The thing that made greatest difference, however, was of course when Henry came over. Having him back, memory and everything, was better than she could have imagined. Nearly all of the bad blood between them was gone and he didn't shy away from her anymore like he had done a few years earlier. Of course, it hurt that she'd missed a year of his life, but seeing him and hearing about his life with Emma, at least she was sure that Emma had been a good mother during their time in New York.

Having someone back with her in the mansion was wonderful even if she was unused to it. She'd grown used to the quietness of the empty house, but with another person living with her, there were suddenly many more little noises that she noticed in the evenings and at night.

At first, she thought it was just Henry, but when she began to see Emma standing in the house, watching her with dark, unreadable eyes, Regina started to wonder. She still didn't want to believe that the clone had somehow come back, so despite her doubts, she told herself it was all in her head. It wasn't until one night, when Henry came to speak with her just before bedtime, that Regina finally couldn't fool herself into thinking that everything was alright.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yes, Henry?" She couldn't help but smile; it still felt so good every time she heard him call her mom.

"Was Emma just here?"

Regina gave him an odd look. "No, I haven't seen her here since she dropped you off."

"That's weird," he mumbled, throwing a glance back from where he came. "Because I could have sworn I saw her just now, glaring at me. Must have imagined it, I guess," he added with a frown.

Regina's eyes widened. She didn't believe for a second that he hallucinated his other mother standing around here. No, if he thought he saw Emma... that meant the clone wasn't gone. Suddenly all the footsteps and feelings of being watched fell into place. The clone was still alive, somehow, somewhere.

"Uh, Mom, are you alright?" Henry asked and if it had been any other day she'd been touched by his concern. Now, though, her mind was far too occupied to think about that.

"Yes, dear, I'm fine. It's just... in this town, you never know what might pop up. I suppose I'm a bit skittish from not having any kind of impending doom hanging over me."

He gave her a wry smile. "Yeah, that's pretty unusual. I'm pretty fond of it myself, though."

"Me too, dear," she murmured and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Now go get ready for bed."

* * *

><p>She stayed up late that night, trying to get her mind off things with a cheap spy novel and a glass of cider in her study, but it was difficult to keep her thoughts away from the fact that the clone had somehow returned. A little after midnight, she gave up on her novel as she'd caught herself reading the same page three times without remembering what was on it.<p>

With quiet steps – not that it would wake Henry, as heavily as he slept – she climbed the stairs, only to freeze when she reached the second floor. In front of Henry's door stood the clone, just about to open the door. With panic flooding her system, Regina instinctively conjured up a fireball and took a step towards her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed at the clone who spun around, meeting Regina's gaze with burning eyes.

"He can't have you," the clone scowled at her. "You're mine."

"Touch him and you will know pain worse than you could ever imagine," Regina threatened, slowly walking towards the clone, fireball still in her hand. The tingling sensation in her body was back, making her body suddenly feel heavy and tired.

Tossing a look at the fireball, the clone steeled her jaw, her lips drawn in a thin line. "You'll be mine. We're destined to be together," she told Regina, opening and closing her fists. Then she was gone without so much as a puff of smoke.

Hurrying over to Henry's room, Regina pushed the door open and let out a relieved breath. Henry was safe, snoring lightly, obviously able to stay asleep despite them talking just outside his room. She backed out and closed the door gently before mumbling a few incantations, putting a protective barrier around Henry's room. The clone would _not_ touch her son.

* * *

><p>Coffee was the ultimate form of magic, she decided after breakfast the next day. Henry had just left for school and she was alone again, but for once having him out of the house only made her calm. The clone would most likely want to be close to her, so Henry should be safe at school.<p>

Taking another sip of her coffee, she sighed and tried to collect her muddled thoughts. She hadn't slept much at all, always imagining hearing footsteps and seeing flashes of blond hair in her doorway. The thought of Henry being so close hadn't helped either, making her get up and check on him more than once.

What she did know, despite her sleepy mind, was that the clone had to be dealt with, _permanently_. She wasn't sure why it hadn't worked the first time – maybe it had faked it? Or perhaps it had somehow regenerated? She hadn't used a particularly intricate spell when she tried to get rid of the clone, after all, and it might have simply avoided it somehow. Well, she wouldn't make that same mistake again.

Footsteps behind her together with the telltale tingling in her body announced the arrival of the clone. Calmly, she put down her cup and turned around. The woman who'd walked up to her was eerily like Emma and for a moment, Regina almost believed it. The confident swagger, the smug smirk and the signature jeans and tank top, it was all so similar. Memories from her "dream" came up in Regina's mind, mixing with the – she had to admit – attractive woman in front of her, and it was enough to distract her.

When Regina realized what was happening, the fire in her palms barely had time to flare up before the clone was right in front of her and slammed her into the wall. It hurt, but what was worse was how Regina could feel her strength slowly being drained – just as it had been during her dream – as the clone pressed her body against Regina's.

"Let go of me," she hissed, cursing herself for getting distracted. While the clone hadn't done anything particularly harmful yet, she wasn't foolish enough to think a creature made of dark magic was anything but malevolent.

"You're mine," the clone murmured with a cocky grin, their faces only a few inches apart. Then she surged forward, pressing her lips against Regina's in a hard, demanding kiss.

Despite her waning strength, Regina wrenched her mouth away and pushed the clone away, if only a few feet. "Touch me again and you'll spend the rest of your pathetic existence in pieces," Regina warned, although she planned on making her suffer whether the clone attacked her again or not.

The clone snarled at her, showing just how little she resembled Emma. The fact that she had at one point mistaken the two was both laughable and disgusting to Regina. "You can't reject me," the clone growled. "You're mine and I'll _have_ you." She smiled, a vicious grimace lacking any semblance of kindness. "And you'll like it. You want me."

"Don't delude yourself, _clone_," she snarled, her blood boiling. "I will make you suffer."

Letting out an angry cry, the clone surged forward, trapping Regina's arms against the wall again as Regina found herself unable to stop her, the tingling sensation and the heaviness that accompanied it growing too quickly for her. She pushed weakly at the clone as it pulled open her dressing gown, biting and clawing at the skin, but she found to her rising panic that the clone was too strong.

For a moment, she was back in the Enchanted forest, Leopold's meaty form above her as she just lay there and could do _nothing_. No one would come to her help, no matter if she screamed her throat raw. She was alone as the disgusting creature on top of her violated her as if he had the right to do so. She was alone.

Hate, disgust and crippling fear boiled inside her at the memories as the clone claimed whatever part of her she could reach, biting and clawing like a feral dog. Tears burned behind her eyelids but she refused to shed them. Gritting her teeth, she focused on other memories. She was the _Queen_, and the Queen was strong. She would not be violated by some pathetic creature like this. Fear turned into anger and she managed to wrench her hands free with what little strength she had left, only to grip the clone's arms and bury her nails in them.

The clone let out a pained yelp and tore her arms free, leaving long, bloody wounds behind. The sight only made Regina grin. Without wasting a moment, she threw her arms forward and let all the magic she could summon loose in a shock wave, hitting the clone hard in the chest. With a cry of pain, the clone was flung over the room, crashing into the opposite wall hard enough to create cracks.

Regina leaned back against the wall, panting heavily, but had little time to rest. After only a few seconds, the clone shook her head and then slowly pulled herself up on unsteady legs, bracing herself against the wall. Regina cursed under her breath at how little damage her attack seemed to have done. Blood was trickling down the clone's forehead and she was clutching her arm, but she was smiling when she pushed herself off the wall and stepped towards Regina.

The sound of the front door flying open made both women freeze. Regina's mind raced. Was Emma here? Had she found out about the clone?

"Regina!" Hook yelled, slurring slightly. Apparently he'd been having a little more rum than usual. "If you think you can trick my girlfriend without–" He stopped abruptly as he entered the kitchen, his eyes widening comically at the violent sight before him. "Emma?"

Turning towards Hook, the clone snarled, "no."

Regina pulled what was left of her dressing gown closer around her and noticed to her relief that the heaviness and weakness she'd felt was now gone again. It seemed to intensify the closer she was to the clone, which simply meant she would have to keep her at a distance. She clenched her teeth and cursed the fact that Hook was with them. It would be far too risky to try to kill the clone with him around, especially drunk.

"I thought you were– I– What the fuck are you doing with her, Swan?" He barked, gesturing at Regina who was still leaning against the wall, panting heavily.

The clone took a step towards Hook, maneuvering to stand between Hook and Regina. "She's _mine_," she hissed. "Leave!"

"Yours?" Hook gaped at first, clearly taken aback, but then his jaws clicked shut and his eyes grew hard. "So you're fucking her. This isn't over, Swan." With that, he shot them both a last angry glare and marched out of the mansion, only stumbling slightly.

"Time to burn, clone," Regina muttered as soon as the door slammed shut, two fireballs instantly present in her palms.

Spinning around, the clone's eyes widened in confusion, but just before a fireball impacted her, she was gone and the fireball hit the battered wall behind her instead.

After waiting a few minutes for the clone to return, Regina then made her way on shaky legs to a chair and sat down heavily. The fight with the clone had brought up memories she'd never wanted to remember and all she wanted to do now was rest and forget that she'd ever created her in the first place. But that wasn't an option.

Still, looking on the bright sight of it, she didn't have to guess anymore what would happen if she continued to reject the clone, Regina thought with a grim smile.


	7. Chapter 7

After a very long and hot shower, Regina dressed up in one of her usual mayoral pant suits. They may not have any actual power, but they represented power and Regina needed all the strength and power she could find. Her body was raw and hurt from the scrapes and bruises the clone had given her, and as tired as she was now she didn't have the luxury to waste her magic on healing herself. Instead, she covered it all up with a scarf and long sleeves and focused her mind on the enemy... and the inevitable arrival of Emma Swan when Hook started accusing her of sleeping with the Evil Queen. What Regina would say in her defense, she had no idea.

Walking down to the basement, her heels clicking against the stairs, she realized how at home – in a way – she suddenly felt. Her usual clothes, a clear enemy and a clear way to defeat it. She needed to find the clone, leech its energy until it was merely a shell and then destroy it. What the clone might have in raw power, Regina had in skill and knowledge. She wouldn't let the clone get close enough to weaken her this time.

It all sounded easy enough until she began to find out that the clone really didn't want to be found. The basement was empty, the other rooms were empty and it wouldn't show up when she called for it. (Not that she really expected it to.) It frustrated her to no end, having to play by her enemy's rules, but without any way to find or summon the clone, that was the only thing to do. She would have to wait.

A few hours passed, with no sign of the clone. Then, when she started to believe that Emma might not even show up at all, the doorbell rang. At least she had better manners than Hook, actually using the doorbell instead of banging on the door like a caveman and then letting himself in.

"Miss Swan," Regina greeted her evenly, stepping aside to let her in.

"I'm pretty sure you already know why I'm here." When Regina neither showed or said anything in response, Emma huffed, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Regina. Why did Hook think we were having sex in your kitchen? Or are you telling me he made it all up?"

"He didn't make it up," Regina replied, her stomach churning as she remembered the clone clawing at her skin. "There was a problem with a spell. It won't happen again."

"Really?" Emma said, brows raised. "A magical accident made Hook think we were fucking."

"Apparently."

"Regina, he thought we were getting at it like _cavemen_. Scrapes and blood and... I don't know. He was pretty drunk." She paused, waiting for a response, but Regina stayed silent. "You're seriously not going to tell me?" Emma finally asked incredulously.

"No." Before Emma could say anything else, she raised her hand. "What Hook thinks he saw was _not_ what happened, Miss Swan," she said stiffly. "Trust me, it was nothing like he said and that's all you need to know right now."

Emma studied her through narrowed eyes for a few moments and then nodded slowly. "Okay, we'll do it your way. But I know it's worse than you're letting on, Regina. If whatever it is that did this hurts anyone – that includes you – I'm not going to back down this easily."

Regina dipped her head in agreement. "Of course."

"Well, I suppose it's time for me to go then. Call me if you need anything."

As Regina opened the front door, she licked her lips, forcing herself to say, "I'm sorry if this has made things difficult between you and Hook." The words tasted like acid on her tongue. "It wasn't my intention." She nearly laughed at the ridiculous similarities between this and hers and Emma's conversation about Marian, weeks earlier.

Emma sighed, suddenly looking very tired. "Things haven't exactly been good between us – me and Hook, I mean – since we got back from the time portal. You remember that lunch we had, right? He doesn't really get this concept of _not_ being with him all the time. Especially if I spend time with _you_ of all people."

"And now he thinks we're sleeping together," Regina noted, curious as to how Emma would react to such a blunt statement.

"I guess he does," she said with a shrug. "Not that I really care what he thinks anymore. I broke up with him today."

Regina let out a surprised noise. "Then he'll _definitely_ think we're sleeping together," she noted with an incredulous expression. "And the rest of the town too, when he gets too drunk in the Rabbit Hole tonight."

"Yep, pretty much."

"And that doesn't bother you."

Emma's made a face. "After all the shit he's pulled on me since we got together? Nope. Besides, I couldn't have asked for a better fake rumored sex partner." She smiled weakly.

Regina blinked dumbly, her mind blank as to what to say. "But... you're not bothered by what he saw? I mean, what he think we did?"

"Not really. I mean, a bit, yeah." She shrugged. "It's weird that he thinks we did that, but you told me what he says he saw wasn't what happened and I believe you. Actually, I'm way more pissed off by the fact that he doesn't believe me that he thinks you and me had sex."

"Oh." Regina felt she should probably say something else, but nothing came to mind.

"And what about you? Are you bothered?"

"What? Oh," Regina said. She hadn't even thought about it. "People still think I'm going to eat their children and torture their partners. I couldn't care less about what a bunch of peasants think about my love life."

"Besides, it'll probably piss my mom off, right?" Emma mumbled with a wry smile.

"It's a bonus," Regina agreed, her lips curling up to match Emma's smile.

"Well." Shoving her hands down her pockets, Emma nodded a little awkwardly, the smile on her lips showing so clearly the difference between her and the clone. "I'll see you around, Regina."

* * *

><p>It wasn't until many hours later that the clone finally appeared, preceded by that telltale tingling coursing through Regina's body. Getting up from the sofa, Regina squared her shoulders. Time to take out the trash.<p>

"Show yourself," she demanded, her eyes scanning the living room.

The clone appeared with as little warning as she did when disappearing, a blank, blandly curious look in her eyes.

"Time to die, clone."

"No," the clone said, scowling at Regina.

"You should be thankful I'm just going to kill you after what you did to me this morning," she sneered. "I've tortured people for less."

"No," the clone repeated, stepping closer to Regina, readying herself as if about to jump her. "You're _mine_. I'm staying."

"I belong to no one, least of all a magic experiment gone wrong with an inflated sense of self-importance." Matching the clone, she had her hands open, her arms slightly angled towards the clone.

"You want me," the clone growled, growing increasingly agitated. "I can feel it. You _want_ me."

"I only wanted you because you looked like Emma!" The words came out before she had time to think them over. But it was true, wasn't it? Emma was an attractive woman... and _tolerable_ at times. The clone was nothing more than a beast with the same looks.

"She can't have you, the boy can't have you, you're _mine_!" the clone hissed, flexing her fingers as if they were claws.

For several breathless moments – Regina couldn't tell how long – they both waited, neither wanting to make the first move. Then, finally, the clone's patience ran out. She bared her teeth in a feral grimace and lunged for Regina, but Regina was prepared. A beam of purple magic hit the clone right in her chest, pushing her back. She snarled and writhed under the painful beam, unable to flee or fight back.

Or at least, that was what Regina had thought, until the beam suddenly pushed back at her, hitting her in her own chest. Gasping in pain, she tried to stop the magic flowing out of her but it was no use. The pain was extreme as it tore through every part of her body and she fell to the floor, breathing in short, panicked gasps, unable to do anything. The last thing she saw before blacking out was the silhouette of the clone lying on the floor, writhing in pain, one she could only guess was as intense as her own.


	8. Chapter 8

"Mom!"

Someone was saying something, far too close and far too loud. Regina winced and tried to move away from the sound only to whimper at the ache that shot through her whole body.

"Mom, it's me! Please wake up!"

Wrenching her eyes open, she blinked at the figure hovering over her. "Henry? What– what happened?"

"I have no idea," he exclaimed, panic lacing his words as he helped her up to sit. "I– I came home and found you lying on the floor, passed out. Who did this?"

Regina sighed, rubbing her forehead. At least he hadn't seen the clone. God knew what she would have done to him. "A mistake. My own mistake."

"What are you talking about? What happened?"

"I... was experimenting with magic and it went out of hand. I didn't think it would turn out this bad, though." She sighed again, hating having to keep the truth from her son, but it was safer this way.

"Mom..." Henry warned.

"I know, Henry. I shouldn't have done it, but now I have and I have to deal with the consequences," she said grimly.

With the help of Henry, she got to her feet and grimaced as pain shot through her legs.

"Shouldn't we get you to the hospital?" Henry asked, worry painting his features. "Or call Emma or Gold or the fairies?"

"I'll be fine. I just need some rest." She smiled softly at her son. "But thank you for worrying. I'll have to see Gold tomorrow, though. He might have some pointers about this... problem."

Henry looked far from convinced but nodded, helping his mother up the stairs. "Will you be okay?" he asked, shifting weight from leg to leg as Regina sat down on the bed. "I could still call Emma. She could help."

"She might, but not tonight, dear. I'll be fine," she repeated with a smile she wasn't entirely feeling, "but it would be best if you stayed with her tonight."

"But you said–"

"I can protect myself, but as tired as I am now, I can't protect you. You'll be safe with Emma and I'll be safe here. This... experiment is tied to me and won't leave if I'm still here." Before he could object, she continued. "I can cast a few protective spells for myself, but I'm not strong enough to do them for us both. Go to Emma, Henry, I won't be arguing about this with you," she finished firmly.

Henry huffed but sensed it wasn't any point in pushing it. "Okay. But if anything happens, promise you'll call Emma."

"I will, as long as you promise not to send her over here," she countered with a raised eyebrow. "She doesn't know anything about this and won't be able to protect herself."

Judging from his frown, that had been exactly his plan. "But–"

"I'll call her if something happens, Henry."

Slumping his shoulders, he finally admitted defeat. "Okay. Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, dear."

He closed the door behind him, leaving Regina alone with her thoughts.

As she undressed, she thought about the coming night. If she guessed correctly, the clone wouldn't show up. The last time Regina tried to get rid of the clone, she didn't show up for weeks afterwards and while the clone most likely was stronger now – talking and showing up at daytime as well – Regina figured the clone would have to regenerate for at least a night, which would give her enough time to go over to Gold's tomorrow and ask him. Hopefully.

Despite her worrying thoughts, sleep enveloped her soon after her head hit the pillow.

* * *

><p>The night passed without incidents and Regina woke up feeling much better. Her body ached less and she could walk without help. After a quick breakfast, she hurried to her car, not trusting herself with magic after the incident the day before. The drive was short but as tired as she still was, it was almost too long.<p>

She entered Mr. Gold's pawnshop, opening immediately with, "I need your help."

Gold didn't bother to hide his surprised smile. "Well, that's an interesting turn of events. And what is it that you think I can and would help you with?"

"A spell. One that _you_ taught me." When he simply nodded, indulging her, she continued. "I created a clone of a person with the spell, from one of their hairs, and now I can't get rid of it."

"Oh. _That_ spell," he smirked. "Usually, you absorb it, taking back the magic and the clone disappears. But I take it that didn't work."

"Obviously not, or I wouldn't be here," Regina snapped.

"Now now, deary. No need to be testy." He rounded the counter, picking up a small book. "Why don't you tell me _exactly_ how you created the clone and I'll see what I can do."

"And what's the price?"

"Nothing. See it as a free continuation of your teachings, if you will."

Regina narrowed her eyes in suspicions but agreed. "Fine. I created the clone using dark magic and infused it with more magic to make it seem more realistic. To make it react."

"And who did you clone?"

"Do you really need to know?" Regina huffed and crossed her arms. The less the imp knew, the better.

"I wouldn't be asking you otherwise, now would I?"

Regina hesitated, but then nodded. "Emma Swan."

"Ah. Figured as much," Gold mumbled, amusement clear in his voice. "It must have reacted to the magic in Miss Swan's hair and developed some kind of primitive consciousness. That would explain why it has foiled your attempts at killing it so far. Self-preservation can be a strong force."

"You would know," Regina scoffed. "Now how do I get rid of it?"

Mr. Gold slammed the book shut with a smirk. "You don't. That creature is a part of your magic and any attempt to kill it or destroy it will destroy you as well, as it has a mind of its own and sounds quite interested in continuing to live. Furthermore, I'm sure you've felt a kind of tingling sensation when it's been near? That's when it's leeching your magic. If you let it live, it'll sooner or later drain you dry, killing you in the process." He wrinkled his nose in a mocking gesture, smirking. "Sorry I couldn't help. Can't say it's been good knowing you."

"Right," Regina replied, "sorry if I don't believe you."

"I'm wounded, deary. Why don't you look for yourself, then." He handed the book over to Regina who hesitantly took it. "And don't worry about returning it. I'll take it back after your tragic passing."

* * *

><p>For once, the imp was actually right. He probably didn't feel the need to embellish anything, seeing how the truth was grim enough. According to him and the book, it was basically impossible to get rid of the clone by now, but she refused to give up that easily. What she needed was time. Time and safety from the clone while she tried to figure out a way to get rid of it.<p>

She tossed the book aside, slumping back into the sofa. She knew who she'd have to call, of course, but it didn't make the whole prospect easier to stomach. Telling Emma about the clone could have any numbers of outcomes, but she had to know in case the clone went after Henry or anything like that. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the speed dial for Emma Swan on her phone.

_"I've been waiting for you to call me. Last time I checked, passing out on the floor is something I told you to call me about."_ came the flat reply.

Regina huffed. "I was tired and there wasn't any immediate danger to me. Sending Henry away was only a precaution."

_"A precaution for _what_, Regina?"_

"I suppose now would be the time to tell you everything." She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the massive berating she was bound to get when she finished. "After you introduced me to Marian, I was angry, to say the least. I wanted you to hurt as much as I did, but I knew I couldn't act on those urges. Instead, I created a clone from one of your hairs that I found in my house."

_"What the hell, you cloned me?"_

"Correct. Problem is, the magic that was used to create it was very dark, which combined with the latent magic in your hair created a somewhat conscious... creature. And a very possessive and quite violent creature at that."

_"Shit,"_ Emma breathed. _"Are you okay?"_

Regina started, a bit taken aback by the fact that Emma actually cared after what she'd just told her. "I'm... fine. I passed out when trying to kill the clone. Somehow it turned my magic back against me."

_"Okay."_ There was a brief moment of silence. _"So what Hook saw was you and the clone..."_ She let the words hang in the air.

"We fought," Regina snapped. "Hook came in just as I had tossed her into a wall. And this is not the time to discuss _that_. The clone is a danger to anyone close to me, including Henry and possibly even your whole side of his family."

_"Shit. Yeah, you're right. So, what do you need me to do?"_

"Henry can't stay at the mansion while the clone is still alive. I need you to take him until I've fixed this."

_"He'll stay with my parents, but there's no way in hell I'm letting you stay there with some crazy clone of myself."_

"Miss Swan–"

_"Not going to happen, Regina. You just got yourself a housemate."_

As much as Regina was loath to admit it, it would feel better to have someone else in the house with her, especially someone with magic. "Fine. I'll expect you for dinner then," she muttered, shaking her head even as she did it.

_"See you then,"_ Emma said and hung up.


	9. Chapter 9

The dinner was surprisingly enjoyable, despite the reason for Emma's presence and the still rather chilly relationship they had. They talked about Henry and how he did in school, the town in general and what was going on, a few rumors Emma had heard from Ruby – very surprising – and even Emma's police work. All in all, it was rather pleasant.

"Don't tell any of the werewolves this, but I actually think your lasagna is better than Granny's," Emma admitted when they'd finished dinner and were putting away the dishes.

"I'll remember that. Might be good to have some dirty info on the local sheriff some day," Regina replied with a glint in her eyes.

Emma chuckled. "I'll just have to try to stay on your good side then." They both knew she wasn't entirely joking. "Anyway, with dinner out of the way, we should talk about your– about _my_ clone."

"I suppose we should," Regina agreed, leading them both to the living room to sit down on the sofas. Without thinking, she pulled off her scarf, feeling too warm after eating perhaps a little too much lasagna.

"So I–" Emma stopped herself and stared wide-eyed at Regina's neck. "Wait, shit, she– the clone did that?"

Unconsciously, Regina touched the marks on her neck gently with her hand before replacing it in her lap. She then simply nodded, waiting for Emma's reaction.

"Damn. I thought Hook made most of the gorier details up. But that's..." Emma paused and frowned, licking her dry lips. "Regina, did she... do more than just fight you? I mean, those are bite marks, and I saw a mark on your neck when I was here to talk about Henry. I understand if you don't want to–"

"She tried," Regina interrupted her, clenching her jaw. There was no point in lying to Emma; she would figure it out eventually anyway and Regina, as much as she hated to admit it, needed her. "And she failed."

"She did that to you and you didn't tell me?" She stopped again, shaking her head. "Crap. I– you don't have to tell me anything. I just... I wish you had. I'm not my mother, you know? I wouldn't have told anyone. I could've helped. I _would've_ helped."

"Miss Swan–"

"No, I know you hate me," Emma told her, waving her interruption off. "But that doesn't mean I want you to suffer or any shit like that. At least believe me on that."

Regina sighed, staring down at the table between them, eyes unseeing. "I don't hate you. I don't particularly like you and I don't always trust you other than to do what _you_ think is right, but I don't hate you." She smiled faintly, almost wistfully. "I'm not used to asking for help. I do things on my own and when things go wrong, I solve them on my own or I tell someone else to do. I don't _ask_." Straightening up, she met Emma's eyes. "And that's what I did this time. I created a problem, I tried to solve it, I failed. That's why you're here."

"Oh," Emma breathed, her eyes flooded with a myriad of emotions. Not pity or compassion, but sorrow and _understanding_. Regina hadn't quite realized how similar they were in some ways. "Okay," Emma nodded a few moments later. "In that case, how about you tell me what's going on."

Letting out a heavy breath, Regina nodded tersely. "Very well. You remember what I told you about creating the clone? After you left that first time, I went straight down to the basement and destroyed the clone, or so I thought. Two days ago, Henry saw her standing in a doorway and thought it was you. Luckily, the clone didn't do anything. However, that same night I found her outside his room." Her face darkened at the thought of anyone harming her son. "She said she wouldn't 'let him have me' and blabbered on about us being destined to be together but disappeared before I had time to do anything. Then yesterday, she attacked me. She believes we are tied together, and in some ways, I believe she's right."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, her frown deepening. "You don't think it's any of this destiny-bullshit, do you?"

Regina scoffed. "Hardly. We're tied together because she is a part of my magic. I believe that is why I become increasingly weaker, both physically and magically, when I'm close to her."

"Can that be how she used your magic against you?" When Regina gave her an odd look, she huffed. "Hey, I listen. You said she somehow reversed your spell or something like that. Could that be why?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Then why did it work the first time? I mean, why didn't she use your magic then?"

"I'm not sure," Regina replied. "She might have been too weak back then, or she didn't understand what was happening. In any case, neither spell worked since she's still here."

"So how _do_ we get rid of her?"

Regina almost smiled at the casual use of "we". Emma certainly had her way of making everything a team effort. "As much as I hate to admit it, I don't know. I talked to Gold about it but he wasn't particularly helpful. In fact, he said there wasn't any hope for me and that the clone would drain my magic until we both died. Or at least, I think she would die, since she wouldn't have me to feed on anymore," she explained flatly.

"You don't believe that, do you?"

"Would I tell you all this if I did, Miss Swan?" Regina snapped. "If that was the case, I would have killed myself immediately to make sure that that disgusting excuse for a creature never saw the light of day again!"

Emma deflated, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry. Point taken." She sat quiet for a while, chewing on her bottom lip. "What about, you know, getting rid of her the old fashioned way?"

"I'm surprised," Regina noted, an eyebrow raised. "Here I thought you shared your parents' insipid views about right and wrong."

"But she's not a person, she's just magic through and through, right? And she is in fact out to kill you, whether she realizes it or not. I won't let that happen."

"I see." Even now – after all they'd been through – to hear that Emma actually wanted to protect her felt strange. Not necessarily bad, just odd. "I doubt very much trying to kill her would work. Although her body looks human, her anatomy is mostly superficial. Shooting her in the head would most likely only result in blood and brain splatter I'd have to clean up. On top of that, she doesn't seem to care much about her wounds. I threw her into a wall with enough force to crack it, yet she got up after only a few seconds."

"So she's a zombie, only headshots don't work. Great," Emma muttered, letting out a puff of breath. "What's your plan, then?"

"Since Gold was no help, it leaves the fairies. I'll ask Tink to come over tomorrow to see if she knows anything the imp doesn't."

"Good," Emma nodded. "Good. Let me know if you need me for anything." She locked eyes with Regina. "_Anything_. Just say the word."

"I will. Now, I think I'd rather go to sleep, try to regain what strength I can."

"Okay," Emma said as they both stood. "And the clone...?"

"She shouldn't appear for a while." Regina crossed her arms, hating to feel unsafe in her own home. "The first time I tried to kill her, she disappeared for several days. She could be gone for a day or a week, I'm not sure. I doubt she'll come back tonight, in any case."

"Good." Emma visibly relaxed. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

* * *

><p>Regina slammed the latest book shut, only barely combating the urge to toss the book into the fireplace. "Useless," she muttered.<p>

The night had gone by peacefully, just as she'd hoped. After a short argument with Emma, she was able to shoo the sheriff off to work with a promise that she'd call if anything happened while Emma was gone. Despite her assurances, Regina did feel better when Tink arrived just after lunch, carrying a bag of what Regina could only assume was every book she could find that was even remotely related.

The problem, though, was that there didn't seem to be anything useful at all in the books. They'd gone through book after book, some even several times, but had still found nothing.

"Yeah, nothing here either," Tink muttered, putting away her own book. "Apparently, no one thought to use this on witches and mages. Or on a product of True Love, for that matter."

Rubbing her forehead, Regina could only hum her agreement. She didn't want to admit defeat – to put it _mildly_ – but she just wasn't sure what to do. Every book said the same thing: absorb the magic and the clone would go away. But how did you absorb magic that didn't want to be absorbed? Forcing it had obviously not worked.

"The problem is that there is nothing about cutting the cord, so to speak. If we could somehow break the connection between me and the clone, she could be destroyed easily," Regina huffed. "But that doesn't seem to be anything someone has thought about."

"I could talk to Blue, you know," Tink offered. "She might know something more."

"Like that moth would help me do anything," Regina huffed. "I'm sure she'll be glad to pick out a nice tombstone."

"She might help me, even if she won't help you. I won't accept a no from her."

After a moment of consideration, Regina shook her head. "I'd rather not. The fewer that know about this the better. And knowing Blue, she might even make things worse."

"You might be right," Tink reluctantly agreed. "I could talk to some of the other fairies without mentioning you, though. Try to find out more without involving Blue." Leaning forward as if to stand, she gave Regina a hesitant look. "Do you mind if I leave already? I'm no use here and I don't want to wait around while the clone is out there."

"Of course. Thank you. Besides, Em– Miss Swan should return soon as well."

"And you haven't killed each other yet," Tink noted, smirking.

Regina rolled her eyes. "We're being cordial and we have a common enemy. The clone threatened Henry."

"Yeah, Henry, of course," Tink drawled. "Must be nice to have someone else here living with you, by the way."

Opening the front door, Regina gestured for her to leave. "Fly away, fairy. You've got better things to do than to speculate about my relationship with Miss Swan."

Tink only snickered before bringing out her wings and taking off.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Regina found herself in the odd situation of sipping a glass of cider while having a rather pleasant conversation with Emma. Tink was right in one way, at least: it <em>was<em> nice to have someone else to talk to, even if it only was the annoying – if attractive – sheriff. And Regina had to admit that she wasn't all bad to be with when they weren't at each other's throats constantly.

At first, the thought of having a conversation for no other reason than socializing had felt utterly wrong to her. After all, wasn't she supposed to despise the woman? Or at the very least dislike her? But as the conversation ambled on, she found that it merely felt nice. The light, easygoing atmosphere coupled with Emma... well, being Emma, was something she realized she enjoyed, and she simply hadn't the strength or the motivation to push it away. Besides, there wasn't a whole lot of good things in her life right now, so she figured she'd just enjoy it when she could.

After a particularly long period of silence, she did notice Emma fiddling more than usual. Was she nervous? "Is there something wrong?" Regina asked, furrowing her brows.

"I... um, aren't you..." She licked her lips and tried again. "Aren't you bothered by seeing me here?"

"I'm always bothered by you, Sheriff," Regina deadpanned, having no idea what Emma was referring to.

"I look like her, don't I?"

"Oh," Regina said, a little surprised. "I suppose you do, in a way." She tilted her head slightly, taking in Emma's appearance. "But your eyes are different, and the way you hold yourself. I can see the darkness in her, the _beast_ in her. In you, I only see light. And you care." Clearing her throat, she hoped it hadn't come out as... intimate as it had sounded to her. "You're very different," she finished quietly.

Looking up to meet Emma's eyes, she saw how relieved she was, but there was also something else there, warm and caring and... all in all, something she definitely shouldn't think about when she had this much else on her mind.

"I'm glad," Emma mumbled, a smile tugging on her lips, her eyes never leaving Regina's.

"Well," Regina said, finally breaking their eye contact. "I think it's high time for us to go to sleep."

They walked in silence up the stairs, neither of them wanting to threaten this fragile peace they had found between them.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Emma said when they reached Regina's bedroom. She headed down the corridor to the guest bedroom after a quick smile.

"Wait," Regina called out, unsure of what to say but knowing she wanted to say _something_. "I, ah, I appreciate what you're doing. That you're here," she continued when Emma turned, looking expectantly at her. "It's good to have someone else here. Someone who's got magic."

"I'm just happy to help," Emma replied with a warm smile. "You don't have to be alone, Regina."

With that, she stepped inside the guest room, leaving Regina oddly speechless.


	10. Chapter 10

The dreadful tingling in her body pulled Regina out of her shallow sleep quicker than a bucket of ice cold water. How long she'd slept, she had no idea. Wasting no time, she summoned a fireball, flooding the room with red and orange light.

"You really don't get it, do you," Regina murmured, meeting the clone's dark eyes as she stood there next to the door. "You're never going to have me."

"We're connected," the clone said, her voice void of emotion. "You can't push me away forever."

"I don't have to. Our connection can and will be severed and then you'll finally be gone from existence for good."

The clone narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips together. "I'm not going to let them take you from me. You're mine."

Regina growled and tossed a fireball at her, but once again the clone disappeared just in time.

She swallowed hard and lay back against the bed. The more she heard that phrase – "you're mine" – the more it affected her, reminding her of the times she hadn't been free, either from her mother, Leopold, Rumple or even the curse itself. It played in her mind, over and over and over again, making it impossible for her to sleep or calm her mind. It didn't take long for her to come to a decision, slipping out of the bed and padding out of her room, always ready for the clone to appear.

Knocking on the guest bedroom's door gave no response, so she carefully opened the door, wondering for a moment if the clone had gone after Emma too. But no, the Savior was sprawled out on the bed, snoring lightly in a manner very similar to Henry's.

"Miss Swan," she said, stopping at the foot of the bed. "_Miss Swan_."

"Hm?" Emma mumbled, blinking owlishly at Regina. "What?"

"Our house guest just made her appearance," Regina said. "We only talked, but I have a feeling she'll be back soon."

"Damn," Emma muttered. "You want me to sleep with you?" She blinked, blushing even in the darkness. "I mean, if the clone comes back, it's better if we're in one place. I didn't mean sleep _with_ you, like that," she sputtered.

"That's a good idea," Regina mused, thankful that she didn't have to suggest it herself. Having Emma so near would be comforting, although she'd rather give herself up to the clone than admit it.

Back in Regina's bedroom, Regina slipped in under the covers while Emma stood by the door, shifting her weight from leg to leg in discomfort. Such a different sight than the clone standing in the same spot, Regina noted. It was a little fascinating how two people who looked so similar could still seem so different.

"Are you going to sleep while standing, Miss Swan?" Regina, raising her eyebrow.

"No, uh, I just, I'll just sleep on the floor," Emma mumbled. She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. As much as your father's genes are _charming_, that won't be necessary. The bed is big enough for the two of us. Besides, you'll be of no use to me if you walk around with crippling back pains tomorrow."

"Oh," Emma said, her lips turning up in a smile. "If you're okay with it..."

"It's perfectly fine."

Emma nodded, made her way around the bed and slipped in under the sheets. "Damn, these sheets are even better than the ones in your guest bed. That's just insane," she remarked, turning towards Regina with a blissful smile.

"I enjoy quality," Regina replied. "And I would also like to get some sleep tonight, if you don't mind."

"Yeah, yeah," Emma said, her smile unwavering. "G'night, Regina," she hummed and closed her eyes.

Regina stayed silent, watching the woman in front of her for a little while. Somehow the mere closeness to her made things feel better. Even though the blonde irritated her immensely at some points, most of the times these last few days the only things she'd felt around Emma was warm and safe. She huffed to herself, quiet enough not to wake her bedmate, and turned on her back. Was she actually feeling something for Emma or was it just gratitude and safety from the clone she felt? She never did answer that before sleep claimed her.

* * *

><p>"Regina!"<p>

A loud yell pierced through Regina's foggy mind, rousing her from sleep. She mumbled a few curses; for once in several days, she'd actually slept really well.

"Regina, she's here," Emma said, nudging her shoulder.

"I know," Regina mumbled, opening her eyes as she felt the tingling in her body.

The clone was standing at the foot of the bed, teeth bared and her fists opening and closing. "You can't have her," she hissed. "I'm not going to let you take her."

"This is so weird," was all Emma had time to mutter before the clone lunged for her with a furious screech. She landed on top of Emma, hands curling around Emma's neck, choking her.

"Emma!" Regina cried, about to ready a fireball when the tingling suddenly rose in intensity, sucking all the strength out of her. She fell down on the bed, helplessly watching as Emma stopped struggling against the clone. For a moment her blood froze as she saw the clone smile ferally at Emma's inaction.

Then, without a sound, the clone was torn from Emma and flung away from the bed like a rag doll, hitting the wall with a loud crack. If it was the the wall or something inside the clone that had broken, Regina couldn't tell.

"Fuck," Emma croaked between coughs, wincing as she massaged her throat. "That was too close."

Regina stared at the clone and then turned back to Emma. "I thought–" She swallowed hard, forcing away tears that threatened to spill. "What did you do?"

"I'm not sure," Emma said, sitting up to lean back against the wall. "I just wanted to protect you. I wanted to make something to keep her out." She looked with a sheepish expression at the glimmering dome that now surrounded the bed. "I guess I made a shield or something."

"You did," Regina noted, ignoring the warm feeling that spread throughout her body at the thought of Emma protecting her. "I think it will keep her out for now. Hopefully, it'll hold until morning."

"I hope so. So what do we do with her? Just let her go?" Emma shot a glance towards the form of her clone, who was slowly getting to her feet.

"We'll deal with her tomorrow," Regina said grimly. "I doubt she'll take lightly to us sharing my bed even if you leave. We'll have to end this one way or another very soon."

The clone finally stood up, if slightly unsteadily. Touching the shield, she hissed and flinched, quickly pulling back her hand. With a last hateful look at Emma, she was gone.

"You don't want to do anything now? If we wait..."

"From what I've noticed, she's always been the strongest at night. If we want to defeat her, it'll have to be during the day."

Emma nodded, lying down on the bed with a sigh. "Okay. Guess you should get some sleep now, then."

"You need to sleep as well," Regina noted with furrowed brows.

"Not if that means leaving the shield unattended. I don't even know if it'll stay up when I'm asleep." Her expression hardened. "And if she comes back, I want to be ready."

"Fine," Regina said as she pulled the sheets up over her shoulders. She hated feeling powerless.

"Hey," Emma mumbled and scooted a little closer. "It'll be okay; we'll figure something out." She grasped one of Regina's hands, covering it with her own and squeezing gently. "We'll get rid of her. I won't let anything happen to you."

Regina just stared back, losing herself in those soft, green eyes shining with care and... other feelings. She swallowed thickly, averting her gaze but let her hand remain in Emma's protective grip. "Thank you," she said so quietly none of them really knew if she'd actually said it.


	11. Chapter 11

The morning came far too quickly for Regina who even after a night's rest felt like she hadn't slept for weeks. She hadn't really recovered from the way the clone had drained her magic that night. Luckily the clone hadn't made another appearance and the shield was still at full strength, and after a few instructions from Regina, Emma managed to increase the size of the shield so they could change clothes without risking being attacked.

Regina rifled through her wardrobe, picking out one of her mayoral outfits. What confidence she didn't feel, she could at least make up for in clothing. She was so deep in thought about the upcoming day that she didn't realize the wide-eyed stare directed at her until she'd already taken off her night gown. Turning, she saw Emma staring at her, mouth slightly agape and hands frozen as they had been unbuttoning her flannel pajamas.

"If you're quite done ogling me, _Sheriff Swan,_ you're perfectly welcome to turn around now," Regina said, hoping the heat in her cheeks wasn't as visible as it felt.

"Oh! I– uh, I'm sorry. Crap." Emma spun around, hurriedly took off her pajamas and reached for her clothes.

Despite her words, Regina let her eyes linger at Emma's undressed form with a little smirk. She could be so adorably awkward sometimes. Realizing what she'd just thought, Regina frowned and shook her head. This was certainly not the time to think about things like _that_. And she did not call things "adorable".

"So," Emma said, clearing her throat. Regina wasn't sure if it was because of her embarrassment or lingering irritation from the previous night. "I figured, the only thing we haven't tried yet is the fairies. I mean, even if Tink couldn't help, Blue might have a trick or two up her sleeve."

Regina scoffed. "You think Blue would help me? Please. The only thing she would do is lock me up with the clone until we both die."

"Yeah, well, maybe if you ask, sure," Emma muttered, "with your sunny disposition and friendly attitude and all that. But if I'm the one who's asking, we might get something."

"Tink said the same thing, but I doubt Blue likes you more than she hates me, dear," Regina replied with a self-deprecating little laugh.

"Well, it's worth a try!" Emma exclaimed, spinning around with a determined glare. "I'm not going to sit around and just _wait_ until my sociopathic clone kills me and drags you off to some creepy cabin in the woods!"

Regina was about to retort but changed her mind when she met Emma's gaze. "Fine, we'll try the fairies," Regina muttered. "It can't get much worse, anyway."

"Good. I'll text Tink and tell her to meet us there."

A few minutes later, they were both ready to leave.

"I can take this down now, right?" Emma wondered, shooting a glance at the shimmering shield at the edge of the bedroom. "I don't think I can move it anyway. I tried last night but I nearly messed it up and lost the whole shield."

Regina moved to the edge of the shield and touched it carefully. It didn't hurt, only softly vibrating, almost humming. It was actually a quite pleasurable feeling. "I should be able to poof us through it. Wait until we've left before you let the shield go."

"And you'll be fine?" Emma gave her a worried look. "Honestly, you look like crap. Not like– I mean– you look _tired_," she rambled.

"I won't be able to take us the whole way to the convent, but I'll get us about halfway there." Pursing her lips, she threw a glance around the room. "I've actually never seen the clone outside the house. It's possible that it isn't able to leave it – that it's somehow bound to the house."

"Huh. Let's hope you're right, then." Emma straightened up, looking every bit like the Savior that she was. "Let's go."

Stepping close to Emma, Regina called up her magic and focused on their destination. The next moment they were standing on the sidewalk of one of Storybrooke's streets, indeed about halfway to the convent. Her magic, however, was almost depleted and her strength was practically gone. Letting out a gasp, her legs buckled and she would've fallen to the ground if Emma hadn't caught her.

"Thank you," Regina mumbled, more or less clinging to Emma, feeling both mortified and strangely comfortable from being held up by her. "It would seem I overestimated my strength."

"Happens to the best of us," Emma quipped in an attempt to lighten the situation. "Can you walk?"

Regina steeled her jaw, partially slipping out of Emma's hold to try her legs. "I... think so. Yes."

"I don't suppose a crash course in teleporting would be possible right now?"

With a snort, Regina shook her head. "Unless you want to end up inside a wall somewhere, I wouldn't try that. It's not a simple task."

Emma huffed, pouting slightly as they walked down the street. "Do you think you'll teach me that some day? It would be really useful to catch suspects that way."

"I suppose. For the greater good," Regina muttered, trying to avoid thinking about the crippling lack of strength she felt. "It would be the _right thing_ to do, wouldn't it?" As soon as she saw the way Emma's face fell, she regretted it.

"I'm not going to force you to do it. It's up to you." Shrugging, her face had lost the hurt that had been there a moment earlier. "It's just, Storybrooke doesn't exactly have a large amount of potential magic teachers and I would rather have you teach me than learn from Blue or Gold." She made a face. "They don't have the greatest track record, you know."

A brow rose to the sky in disbelief. "And I do?"

"Well, I trust you. I don't trust them. That's a pretty good start," she pointed out with a smirk pulling on her lips.

Regina didn't have time to respond before the she felt the clone's presence. "She's here," she hissed, body seizing in anticipation.

Emma nodded without question, closing her eyes in concentration. A small, shimmering bubble appeared around them just as the clone stood in front of them, only a few feet away.

"Mine!" was the only thing she screeched before smashing into the shield. She staggered backwards from the impact, but from the wince that crossed Emma's face, the clone wasn't the only one feeling it.

"Call Tink. Get her here _now_," Emma muttered, wincing when the clone rammed into the shield again.

Regina tore out her phone and dialed Tink's number as the clone hit the shield over and over again.

_"Regina?"_

"You need to get here. _Now_," Regina said, not bothering to hide the quaver in her voice. "We're at Main Street, close to the clock tower."

_"I'll be there as fast as I can,"_ came the firm reply.

"She's on her way," Regina told Emma when she'd ended the call.

"Good. I don't think I'll be able to keep this up forever," Emma muttered and winced when the clone slammed into the shield again. "By the way, Regina? Promise me you won't make another clone like this ever again. Unless you're using Gold's magic."

Regina let out a cold little chuckle. "Somehow I don't think any promises I make will be particularly useful, seeing how I probably won't–"

"Don't," Emma exclaimed, her head snapping to Regina's. "Just don't. I didn't come all this way just to give you up to _that_," she jutted her chin towards the increasingly bruised clone, "and I don't want to hear any last words or what to tell Henry or any other crap like that. You got that?"

Surprised by Emma's outburst, Regina could only nod shakily. She certainly hadn't expected such a strong defense of her, but she supposed she should have. After all, she'd been very protective ever since she'd gotten involved in the dealings with the clone.

"Good. Tink's going to be here any minute now, we're going to defeat my clone and you _and_ Henry are going to go home tonight and sleep without a care in the world. The end."

Regina wasn't sure how she felt about the fact that going home to sleep without Emma close by felt much less appealing than it had done just a few days earlier. There was a certain safety she felt around her that just wasn't there without her. "Okay," she said, still staring at Emma as if she was seeing her in a whole new light – which, perhaps, she was. "And what exactly will Tink bring that will do any difference?"

Emma took an involuntary step backwards after an especially strong hit to her shield. "I told Tink to get something from Blue, this morning when I texted her. I'm hoping it will at least buy us some more time. You'll see when she gets here. I don't want to get your hopes up too much."

"Fine," Regina replied tersely, hating how vulnerable she felt. Being told to trust the fairies didn't exactly help.


	12. Chapter 12

Although the clone was looking worse and worse, bleeding from several wounds in her face and arms and looking so bruised and battered a normal human wouldn't be able to stay conscious, let alone stand or run anywhere, if anything, her energy seemed to be increasing together with her frustration. She wasn't talking anymore, only growling and screeching incoherent, garbled sounds.

By the time a glowing green spot finally appeared in the sky, Emma was sweating profusely, flinching and staggering every time the shield was hit. Tink landed a safe distance away, eyes flitting between the two Emma's.

"Which one?" she yelled, body ready to pounce. "The one outside, right?"

"Yes," Regina confirmed and took a step closer to her– to the _real_ Emma. "Do whatever you're supposed to do, quickly."

Tink nodded and jumped off into the air, diving towards the clone who paid her no mind. When she was just above her, Tink opened her fist and threw a handful of fairy dust on the clone who immediately looked up, snarling at the fairy. Before she could do anything else though, blue magic surrounded and immobilized her.

"You took fairy dust from Blue?" Regina said incredulously, staring at the clone and then at Tink.

Rolling her eyes, Tink landed and shrugged off her wings. "I _got_ it from Blue. I can be very persuasive." Her expression grew serious. "I'm not sure how long this will work on her, so we'll have to act quickly."

"Do you have a plan?" Regina asked, not comforted by Tink's grim look.

Tink hesitated, glancing at the clone who was furiously trying to get out of her bondage. "No. I talked to Blue. She didn't explicitly say there wasn't any way to get rid of it, she just said she'd never heard of anything like it. The combination of your magics makes this pretty much unheard of, even by someone like the Blue Fairy."

"What about light magic?" Emma blurted out. "You've only tried to absorb it with your own dark magic, right?" she asked Regina. "I could try absorbing it with light magic. Maybe it won't hurt you then."

Throwing a spiteful look at the furious clone, Regina agreed. "Do it."

Emma stepped away from Regina, raising her hands towards the clone. "Here goes," she muttered and closed her eyes, her face scrunching up in concentration. Beams of light shot out of her hands, hitting the clone who shrieked and writhed. For a few seconds, it looked like it was working, the clone's feet starting to shimmer and disappear, but then another beam of light, slightly tinted purple, shot out from the clone and hit Regina in the chest, throwing her to the ground.

"S-stop, Emma," Regina could only whimper as immense pain surged through her exhausted body.

A string of curses flew out of Emma's mouth as she immediately cut off her magic and hurried to kneel at Regina's side, pulling her into her arms almost instinctively. "Fuck, I'm so sorry. I didn't think it would... I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"It's fine," Regina shakily sighed, although it really wasn't. Her body felt like it was on the verge of collapsing completely and their last idea on how to get rid of the parasite that lived off of her magic had just failed completely. Things were not fine at all. "That's that, I suppose," she muttered with a emotionless chuckle.

"No. I won't let you die," Emma insisted firmly, pulling Regina closer to her.

"Why?" Regina turned to look Emma in the eyes with an almost accusing expression. "You keep saying that. Why won't you let me die? Why am I suddenly so important? Is it because of Henry, because he needs his mother?"

Emma swallowed thickly. "You were always important, Regina. You still are, no matter what you feel about me or anyone else. I won't let you go because – yes – it's the _right thing_ to do, and I won't let you go because of Henry, but also because I'm too selfish to let you go." She gave her a wry smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I guess I'm more like my clone than I thought. I don't want anyone to take you away."

Scoffing, Regina stood up – her legs barely able to support her – and brushed off the dust from her pants. "You're nothing like her, Emma, we both know that," she huffed without even realizing that she'd used her first name.

"Regina," Tink said with a thoughtful look at her, "what do you feel when you look at the clone?"

"What, why?" Regina nearly sneered at her. "Is there a reason you're suddenly channeling your inner cricket?"

"I may have an idea. Just work with me here. What do you feel when you look at her?"

Regina rolled her eyes but, for once, did as she was told and let her eyes linger on the frantic clone. Sensing she was being watched by the object of her affections, the clone stopped her fighting for a moment, meeting Regina's gaze. "I see someone who only cares for herself, takes what she wants without a thought about anyone else. I see someone who thinks she's entitled to whatever it is she wants and who doesn't understand when it isn't provided to her." A faint, cruel smile curled up her lips. "I see traces of Leopold." Her smile faded away and she pressed her lips together into a thin line. "I see my mother. And myself, from many years ago." Suddenly aware of how much of herself she was showing, she asked, "is that to your satisfaction, Doctor?"

"More or less," Tink nodded, looking more and more excited. "Do you trust the clone?"

Regina stared at her as if she had just asked if the Blue Fairy and Captain Hook really were the same person. "Of course not. Are you insane?"

"Do you trust Emma?"

"I–" She faltered, her eyes flitting between the three women as she searched her mind frantically for an answer. "I don't know."

"You still blame her for bringing Marian back, don't you?"

"Well–"

"Even though you told me that part of you wanted to pick a partner yourself, without having it forced on you by fate or pixie dust." She narrowed her eyes at Regina who was looking more confused by the minute. "In fact, you said that you weren't even sure that you would've chosen any differently if you had been there in her place in the past."

"I didn't–"

"Would you really have watched your past self kill a woman if you could have prevented it?" Tink pressed on.

"I– I–" She wanted so badly to say yes, to be the person she'd always been. There was safety in knowing herself, but Tink's question just showed how little she actually knew. "I don't know," she finally breathed. "I hope I would have, for the timeline's sake... but I don't know. I'm not sure I could've seen that again, seen how I was back then."

Tink shot a quick glance to Emma who'd watched the exchange, silent and eyes large as saucers. "The clone was created from your anger towards Emma, right? What if the reason it's still here is because you still haven't let it go?"

"I'm not angry with Emma!" Regina retorted. "Not anymore, at least. I don't feel anything." Even as she said the word, they sounded hollow, fake.

"Bullshit," Emma cut in, crossing her arms. "That's a load of crap and you know it. At the very least, you still blame me for bringing back Marian." She tilted her head and gave Regina a look that dared her to deny it. "Or are you telling me you've forgiven me?"

"I..." She felt like squirming under the two women's gazes. She didn't hate Emma, she certainly wasn't angry with Emma anymore, but could she actually forgive her for taking away her purported happy ending, even if the result wasn't as bad as it could have been? "I don't know!" she snapped.

"You know what?" Emma closed the distance between them, dipping her head to meet Regina's eyes. "I think you have forgiven me. I think you even feel something for me – maybe just friendship, I don't know – but I think you're so used to holding on to your grudges and your hate, that letting it go feels wrong, feels too easy." She smiled, a tired chuckle escaping her lips. "But I'm not my clone, so I'm not going to tell you how you feel. If you think I'm dead wrong, just say it."

Looking into those soft, green eyes, Regina couldn't bring herself to object. Emma knew her too well, pulling down her carefully constructed walls around her heart as if they were made of wet paper. It was amazing how someone who so often seemed like an airhead, stumbling about in life until she accidentally did something useful, could read her so easily. Perhaps they really were more similar than she'd thought.

"And really, no matter what, even though I'm probably going to fuck something up again, I will spend the rest of my life to fix this, Regina, to fix _us_, whatever that is." She took Regina's hand, squeezing it gently. "I don't care if it's together with you or not – or, well, I _do_ care, but that doesn't really matter – but I'm going to do it anyway. I want to see you happy. With me or without me, doesn't matter. As long as you're happy." She smiled despite the sadness in her eyes, a single tear making its way down her pale cheek. "So please forgive me, Regina. I'll make it up to you for the rest of my life."

Tears were streaming down Regina's face as she could only stare back at Emma, absorbing the loving words she'd just heard. It was more than anyone had ever done for her, more than what anyone had ever told her, and it tore down the last of her walls. She felt as if Emma was holding her heart in her palm, and maybe that wasn't so far from the truth?

Leaning forward, she rested her forehead on Emma's shoulder, taking a deep, shaky breath. She did feel something for Emma. She felt something strong, something she hadn't felt since Daniel and something she didn't think she'd ever feel again, despite his urging for her to love again. She felt safe, warm and loved, never wanting to be away from her again.

"Emma," she breathed, pulling her head back to look into those mesmerizing eyes again. "I..." She couldn't put words to her feelings; they were too new and too unexplored. But she did know one thing. "I forgive you," she whispered and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on Emma's lips.

As their lips met, warm and loving magic surged through her body. When they pulled back, they stood quietly for a moment, both women staring at each other, taking in what had just happened.

"That was..." Emma began but never finished and Regina nodded in agreement.

"I suppose it was." She couldn't hold back a soft smile. "I don't mind."

Emma's whole posture visibly relaxed in relief. "I thought– with you, you know, fate–"

"Fate didn't choose you, Emma." Regina reached up and cupped her cheek. "_I_ chose you."

Emma just beamed, leaning into her touch.

A screech pulled them abruptly apart and they turned towards the clone, ready for another fight. But the clone was still frozen and was now also slowly disappearing, from her feet and upwards. She was struggling against her bonds, anger and fear mixing in her eyes. When her shoulders and head was the only thing left, she finally stopped her struggles, hanging her head briefly before raising it again to gaze at Regina.

"I," she clone begun, fear and confusion warring for power, "you were supposed to be mine." She paused as her shoulders ceased to be. Just as her neck was disappearing, she spoke again. "I don't understand." And then she was gone.

Regina let out the breath she'd been holding, feeling how some of the strength the clone had taken slowly returned.

"That's... that's it, right?" Emma asked, looking between Regina and Tink. "It's gone?"

"We can't be sure," Regina replied tiredly, "but I highly doubt it will return. I... I think Tink was right."

Tink's beaming smile was enough to light half the town. "I wasn't sure it would work, but I've never been happier to be right. I'm happy for you two."

"Thanks," Emma mumbled, carefully bringing her arm around Regina's waist. "So. Do we, um, talk, or what?" she asked Regina.

"No." At Emma's confused expression, she chuckled softly. "No, what I want now is to go home with you and Henry and rest, without a care in the world," she explained, mirroring Emma's words from earlier. "There will be plenty of time to talk."

Emma hummed in delight as Regina pulled her in for another loving kiss. "That sounds like a plan. Let's go home."


End file.
